Michigan State, Fuji University Offer Discounted Bikes To Students

A bike is one of the best ways to get around at Michigan State University in East Lansing, with a campus that runs for 5,200 acres. Sure, you can walk, but it takes longer to get to class. Or you could drive, but parking can be expensive, hard to find, or result in a souvenir ticket from campus police. So it's with some excitement that MSU has joined Fuji University, a program that allows students, faculty and staff to buy new Fuji bikes at a discount. Oh, and there's also a university-owned and -operated bike shop to go along with it. MSU is the only university in the Midwest, and one of only five in the nation, that belongs to Fuji University. Campus officials say they hope the partnership will keep more people (and greenhouse gases) off the roads, and make for healthier students.

More than 60 bikes have been sold since the program launched in September. The campus bike shop, called MSU Bikes, used to rent and sell used bikes repaired by staff. But demand often exceeded supply.

A 2009 MSUToday segment on the MSU Bikes Service Center.

Now, the shop hopes to be able to outfit more students with new Fuji bikes, which can be purchased for hundreds of dollars less than the original price by folks with an MSU ID. For instance, a Fuji Nevada 1.0 can be had for $423 with an ID, less than a sticker price of $650. Not as cheap as a department-store bike, but longer-lasting, university officials say. And less than the price of books for some classes.